CHEMISTRY

OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
ATMOSPHERIC CYLES
LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE
OUTER LAYER PHENOMENA
POLLUTION

Rhoda G. Pangan
EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
• Earth’s atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the
Planet
• “blanket of air”, which reaches over 560 kilometers
from the surface of the earth
• Absorbs the energy from the sun
• Recycles water and other chemicals
• Protects us from high-energy radiation and the frigid
vacuum of space
• The atmosphere protects and supports life
EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
• Earth’s Atmosphere is made up of a mixture of gases
called air.
• Nitrogen gas makes up about 78% of Earth’s
atmosphere.
• The second most abundant gas is Oxygen, which makes
up 21% of Earth’s atmosphere.
• The third Argon (Ar, 0.9%); Carbon Dioxide ( CO 2 ,
0.03%)
Cycles of the
atmosphere
NITROGEN CYCLE
OXYGEN CYCLE
WATER CYCLE
CARBON CYCLE
 NITROGEN CYCLE

Although the supply of nitrogen in the atmosphere is virtually inexhaustible, it must be combined with hydrogen or
oxygen before it can be assimilated by higher plants, which in turn are consumed by animals. Juvenile nitrogen is
nitrogen that has not previously participated in the nitrogen cycle.
The Nitrogen Cycle
Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere,
along with water from evapotranspiration, which is water
transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil. The vapor
rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it
to condense into clouds.

Five main processes of nitrogen cycle through

the biosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere:
1. Nitrogen fixation
2. Nitrogen assimilation
3. ammonification
4. Nitrification
5. Denitrification

Microorganisms, particularly bacteria, play major roles in all of

the principal nitrogen transformations.
Watch NITROGEN CYCLE
 OXYGEN CYCLE
The cycle is complicated because oxygen
appears in so many chemical forms and
combinations, primarily as molecular oxygen, in
water, and in organic and inorganic compounds.
The Water Cycle

❑ The water cycle describes the existence and movement of water on, in,
and above the Earth.
❑The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the surface of the
earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into rain or snow
in clouds, and falls again to the surface as precipitation.
The water cycle has no starting point, but we'll begin in
the oceans, since that is where most of Earth's water exists.
The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the
oceans.

Some of it evaporates as vapor into the air; a relatively

smaller amount of moisture is added as ice and
snow sublimate directly from the solid state into vapor.

Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere,

along with water from evapotranspiration, which is water
transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil. The
vapor rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it
to condense into clouds.
The Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle is most easily studied as two interconnected sub cycles:
• One deal i ng wi th rapi d carbon exchange am ong l i vi ng organi sms
• One deal i ng wi th l ong-term cycl ing of c arbon through geol ogi c processes

✓ Al though we will look at them separately, it's important to realize these

cycles are linked. For instance, the same pools of atmospheric and
oceanic CO 2 , that are utilized by organisms are also fed and depleted by
geological processes.
✓ As a brief overview, carbon exists in the air largely as carbon dioxide gas,
which dissolves in water and reacts with water molecules to produce
bicarbonate—HCO 3. Photosynthesis by land plants, bacteria, and algae
converts carbon dioxide or bicarbonate into organic molecules. Organic
molecules made by photosynthesizers are passed through food chains,
and cellular respiration converts the organic carbon back into carbon
dioxide gas.
LAYERS of the
atmosphere
TROPOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
EXOSPHERE
 Scientists divide the atmosphere into
several different layers according to
temperature variation and composition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DftEDVzGnMg
LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE

➢Troposphere
▪ most active region the layer of the atmosphere that
contains about 80 percent of the total mass of air and
practically all of the atmosphere’s water vapor.
▪ The troposphere is the thinnest layer of the atmosphere
(10 km), but it is where all the dramatic events of
weather—rain, lightning, hurricanes—occur.
▪ Temperature decreases almost linearly with increasing
altitude in this region.
➢Stratosphere
▪ consists of nitrogen, oxygen, and ozone.
▪ The air temperature rises with altitude.
▪ This warming effect is the result of exothermic reactions
triggered by UV radiation from the sun which, serves to
prevent harmful UV rays from reaching Earth’s surface.
LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE

➢Mesosphere
▪ the concentration of ozone and other gases is low
▪ Coldest layer of the atmosphere
▪ temperature decreases with increasing altitude
➢Thermosphere, or ionosphere,
▪ is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere.
▪ The rise in temperature in this region is the result of the
bombardment of molecular oxygen and nitrogen and atomic
species by energetic particles, such as electrons and protons,
from the sun
➢Exosphere
▪ the outermost layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. It starts at an
altitude of about 500 km and goes out to about 10,000 km
Regions of Earth’s
atmosphere. Notice
the variation of
temperature with
altitude.
 OUTER LAYER
PHENOMENA IN
the atmosphere
The composition of the Earth‘s
atmosphere changes as result
of natural processes such as
volcano emissions, lightning
and bombardment by solar
particles from corona.
 LIGHTNING
• Lightning causes atmospheric nitrogen and
oxygen to form nitric oxide, which is eventually
converted to nitrates.
 volcanoes

• Estimated source of about 2/3 of Sulfur in air

• An active volcano emits gases, liquids, and solids.
The gases spewed into the atmosphere include
primarily 𝑁 2,𝐶𝑂 2, 𝐻𝐶𝑙, 𝐻𝐹, 𝐻 2𝑆, and water vapor.
TAAL VOLCANO
January 12, 2020
 Solar
flares
• These are violent eruptions on the surface of the
sun that result in the ejection of myriad electrons
and protons into space, where they disrupt radio
transmission and provide us with spectacular
celestial light shows known as Auroras.
Aurora Borealis
Northern Lights

• Greek words for

“Northern Dawn”
• Phenomenon in the
Northern Hemisphere
• Visible in Finland,
Sweden, Iceland,
Northern Canada
Aurora Australis
Southern Lights
• Phenomenon in the
Southern Hemisphere
• Less popular due to its
location
• Visible in Queenstown,
New Zealand, Mount
Wellington, Tasmania,
Victoria, Australia,
Antarctica & South
Georgia Island.
OZONE LAYER
• Region of Earth’s stratosphere that absorbs most of the
Sun’s UV Radiation.
• Contains high concentrations of Ozone (𝑂3) relative to
other parts of the atmosphere.
• Discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles
Fabry and Henry Buisson.
Depletion of ozone in the Stratosphere

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)
• Primary culprit in Ozone layer
breakdown
• Mostly found in the refrigerants,
aerosols and plastic products.

Ozone Holes
• Areas of damage in the Ozone layer
Depletion of ozone in the Stratosphere

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

As of November 18, 2020

https://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/NH.html
Depletion of ozone in the Stratosphere

Watch
Climate 101: Ozone Depletion | National Geographic
Greenhouse
Effect
• describes the trapping of heat
near Earth’s surface by gases in
the atmosphere, particularly
Carbon Dioxide. Most abundant greenhouse gases
in Earth's atmosphere:
• Greenhouse Gases • Water vapor (𝐻2𝑂)
• gases that absorb and emit • Carbon dioxide (𝐶𝑂2)
• Methane (𝐶𝐻4)
radiant energy within the thermal • Nitrous oxide (𝑁2𝑂)
infrared range. • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Hydrofluorocarbons
Watch
Air Pollution 101 | National Geographic
Acid Rain
▪ A rain or any other form of precipitation that is
unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels
of hydrogen ions.
▪ Acid rain’s spread and damage involves weather,
chemistry, soil, and the life cycles of plants and
animals on the land and from acid rain in the water.
▪ Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the major
sources of acid rain.
Types of Acid Rain
1. Wet Deposition
• refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow.
• as this acidic water flows over and through the
ground, it affects a variety of plants and
animals.
2. Dry Deposition
• refers to acidic gases and particles.
• about half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls
back to earth through dry deposition.
Causes of Acid rain
• Burning coal, oil and natural gas, giving off sulfur
dioxide gas.
• Burning petrol and oil in vehicle engines gives off
nitrogen oxides as gases.
• These gases mix with water vapor and rainwater
in the atmosphere producing weak solutions of
sulfuric and nitric acids-which fall as acid rain.
Effects of Acid Rain on
Non-Living Things
• The Taj Mahal in Agra, suffering
from sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid
and other fumes pollutants released
from Mathura Refinery.
• Acid rain causes extensive damage
to buildings, statues, bridges &
structural materials of marble, lime
stone, etc.
• On Human Health
The sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide gases,
causes respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic
bronchitis, etc. Tiny Particles cause difficulty in
breathing for humans and animals & also lead to
permanent lung damage.

• On Water Animals
Acid Rain increases the acidity of lakes & rivers,
which is directly affect the aquatic ecosystem.
• On Trees & Soil
Acid Rain dissolves all the nutrients and
the useful minerals for the tree to grow.
Weakens the process of photosynthesis.
Acids activate aluminum from the soil
which leaches into water and fishes die.
Drinking water is contaminated.
WATCH
What is Acid Rain? | National
Geographic
Photochemical smog

Smog
• combination of smoke and fog

Photochemical smog
• formed by the reactions of automobile exhaust in the
presence of sunlight
• an air pollution, formed when photons of sunlight hit
molecules of different kinds of pollutants in the
atmosphere.
Photochemical smog